Unit 6: Quantifying Chemical Reactions—Stoichiometry and Moles

Video

David Song

David Song is a graduate student and National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellow in the Nocera laboratory at Harvard University. The Nocera Group studies the basic mechanisms of energy conversion in biology and chemistry with the aim of delivering a carbon-neutral and sustainable energy supply for the 21st century. Collaborating with Prof. JoAnne Stubbe at MIT, Mr. Song's research focuses on understanding how biological molecules, such as enzymes, control the bioenergetics of metabolism through a reaction called proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). Mr. Song graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in chemistry and molecular and cellular biology in 2010.

Stoichiometry gives us the quantitative tools to figure out the relative amounts of reactants and products in chemical reactions. Balancing the number of atoms on each side of the equation, calculating the amount of each reactant, and figuring out which reactant will run out first are all fundamental principles when designing any chemical reaction. These principles are applied when splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen for energy, manufacturing sodium iodide for radiation detectors, and producing common chemicals from renewable resources.